Center for Israel Studies

News and Events

The Arch of Titus Project

From June 5-7, 2012, an international team of scholars organized by the
YU Center for Israel Studies assembled at the Arch of Titus and scanned
the bas reliefs for evidence of its ancient colors. For more information, click here:

----------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------

The newest publication of the CIS, based upon our 2011 conference:

Talmuda de-Eretz Israel: Archaeology and the Rabbis in Late Antique Palestine brings together an international community of historians, literature scholars and archaeologists to explorehow the integrated study of rabbinic texts and archaeology increases our understanding of both types of evidence, and of the complex culture which they together reflect. This volume reflects a growing consensus that rabbinic culture was an “embodied” culture, presenting a series of case studies that demonstrate the value of archaeology for the contextualization of rabbinic literature. It steers away from later twentieth-century trends, particularly in North America, that stressed disjunction between archaeology and rabbinic literature, and seeks a more holistic approach. http://www.degruyter.com/view/product/204

Table of Contents

Contents

Steven Fine and Aaron Koller

Preface v

Shawn Zelig Aster

Mishnah Baba Metsia 7:7 and the Relationship of Mishnaic Hebrew to

Northern Biblical Hebrew 1

Jonathan Milgram

Mishnah Baba Batra 8:5 – The Transformation of the Firstborn Son from

Family Leader to Family Member 19

Noa Yuval-Hacham

Mishnah Avodah Zarah 4:5 – The Faces of Effacement: Between Textual and

Artistic Evidence 29

Joshua Weistuch and Ben Zion Rosenfeld

Tosefta Ma‘aser Sheni 1:4 – The Rabbis and Roman Civic Coinage in Late

Antique Palestine 53

Yonatan Adler

Tosefta Shabbat 1:14 – “Come and See the Extent to Which Purity Had Spread”

An Archaeological Perspective on the Historical Background to a Late

Tannaitic Passage 63

Uzi Leibner

An Illustrated Midrash of Mekilta de R. Ishmael, Vayehi Beshalah, 1 –

Rabbis and the Jewish Community Revisited 83

Lawrence H. Schiffman

Jerusalem Talmud Megillah 1 (71b–72a) – “Of the Making of Books”:

Rabbinic Scribal Arts in Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls 97

Alexei Sivertsev

Jerusalem Talmud Sanhedrin 2,6 (20c) – The Demise of King Solomon and

Roman Imperial Propaganda in Late Antiquity 111

Burton L. Visotzky

Genesis Rabbah 1:1 – Mosaic Torah as the Blueprint of the Universe –

Insights from the Roman World 127

R. Steven Notley

Genesis Rabbah 98:17 – “And Why Is It Called Gennosar?” Recent

Discoveries at Magdala and Jewish Life on the Plain of Gennosar in the Early

About the Exhibition

The Eastern Mediterranean, from Syria
across North Africa, comprised the wealthy southern provinces of the
Byzantine Empire at the start of the seventh century. By that century's
end, the region was central to the emerging Islamic world. This
exhibition will be the first to display the complex character of the
region and its exceptional art and culture during the era of
transition—from its role as part of the Byzantine state to its evolving
position in the developing Islamic world. The dialogue between
established Byzantine and evolving Islamic styles and culture will be
shown through images of authority, religion, and especially commerce.
Iconoclasm as it emerged during that period among the Christian, Jewish,
and Islamic communities of the region will be addressed.

Steven
Fine, director of the Center for Israel Studies, wrote a major catalog
entry, "Jews and Judaism between Byzantium and Islam," and was
instrumental in the choice and interpretation of artifacts that
illustrate the Jewish experience at this important crossroads. He presented the Jewish artifacts at a symposium for scholars at the Met.

-Dr. Fine and Mr.Schwartz at work

CIS Programming and Tours

Dr. Fine delivered a major lecture at the Met, "Jews and Samaritans in an Age of Transition,"
which wass open to the general public, on Sunday, March 18, 2012.
For further information, visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art's website for the exhibition. Yitzchak Schwartz (YC 2011),
Research Associate and Coordinator at the CIS, has spent the
last year as a Met intern in the Department of Medieval Art working on
this exhibition, co-writing a number of catalog entries with Professor
Fine.

Dr. Fine and Mr. Schwartz led special Behind the Scenes Tours of Byzantium and Islam for the YU community, for YU students on Sunday, May 6, 2012, and for faculty and staff on Wednesday, May , 2012.

Joint Metropolitan Museum of Art and CIS Conference

The YU Center for Israel Studies co-sponsored Perspectives on Byzantium and Islam,
an international conference at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on Tuesday,
March 20, 2012. For more on the program, see the Perspectives on Byzantium and Islamwebsite. See below for full the full program and schedule:

Perspectives on Byzantium and Islam:

Noted scholars expand on issues related to perceptions on the use of
images in works related to the time frame of the exhibition Byzantium
and Islam: Age of Transition.

An international conference at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,

Tuesday, March 20, 1:00–4:00 p.m.

The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium Show

-
Tenth century decorative "Carpet page" from a Biblical codex. Pigment
and gold leaf on parchment. Firkovich Compilation, National Library of
Russia, St. Petersberg.

Sunday, April 22:

The CIS invites the YU community and the
public to a Yom Iyyun exploring the history and thought of Religious
Zionism in America. The Yom Iyyun will honor longtime YU Professors and leaders in the YU community Rabbi Dr. Bernard Rosensweig and Rabbi Dr. Sol Roth.

Wednesday, April 18:

What is a Sephardi? Three Approaches from Contemporary Israel

A presentation by Dr. Joseph Ringel (Drew University)

Come learn about three different ways in which Sephardic rabbis in Israel are reviving and reinterpreting traditional Sephardic philosophy, poetry, methods of learning, and halakhic values, and find out how they are making them a leading force in Judaism today. Examine for yourselves new books and commentaries not widely available in the US, and be prepared for a lively and fun discussion!

Wednesday, April 18, 2012, 8:00 pmWilf Campus, Furst Hall 535

---------------------------------------------------

---------------------------------------------------

Past YU News Coverage of CIS Events

The Center for Israel Studies hosts numerous conferences and seminars that are open to the public, and that bring together academic and political leaders around the world. Below are links to press coverage of some of our events: